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Huffington Post -- Vocal cast for Disney's "Planes" includes a "Top Gun" cameo, top names from stand-up comedy So how did Klay Hall wind up as director of Disney's "Planes" ? First there was this train derailment ... Or should I say: First an earlier project that...

It's been quite a while since I last posted a piece about the various domain names The Walt Disney Company has recently registered . Which sometimes offers up a clue or two about the Mouse has in the works for the weeks, months & years ahead. Mind you, a lot of the news that I've uncovered...

For the past three days, the story that's been dominating entertainment news is Rich Ross' removal as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios . Now most of these articles seem to lay the blame for Ross' exit on " John Carter " 's box office . And while it's true that this Andrew...

Is it just me or has animated cartoon film making finally evolved into something else? With motion pictures like " Rango " and " The Adventures of Tintin " finding a home in the Academy Awards animated film category I can't help but wonder how these movies are all that different...

Welcome to June. That time of year when many of us struggle to find the perfect graduation present. That thoughtful, well-chosen item which will then make an impression on the newly capped-and-gowned. Luckily, Disney Editions has - just yesterday, in fact - released a book that (I think, anyway) will...

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday (that annual television event that turns tens of millions of us into couch potatoes, when we wolf down handful of greasy potato chips and/or platters full of toppings-laden potato skins), I thought that - today - it might be appropriate to pay tribute to that most cinematic...

Here's kind of a depressing fact to start 2011 off with: 88% of all people will fail to keep their New Year's resolution . With 45% of those folks falling off the self-improvement wagon by the end of January. And why is that exactly? To be blunt, it's because a lot of us aren't willing...

Did you catch that terrific profile of Michael Giacchino that " Variety " ran yesterday? I mean, if you thought that this Academy Award-winning composer was busy in 2009 - 2010 (i.e. that's when he composed & conducted the music for " Prep and Landing ," " Day & Night...

Let's cut to the chase here: There was just no escaping " TRON: Legacy " at this year's Comic-Con . Even before you entered the San Diego Convention Center , thanks to those banners that seemed to be hanging off of every light post in the city, you found yourself face-to-face with Jeff...

What with " Toy Story 3 " in theaters right now, " Cars 2 " due to debut next summer and a sequel to " Monsters, Inc. " reportedly in the works, one has to wonder what other follow-ups Pixar Animation Studios has planned. Well, based on the domain names that The Walt Disney...

It’s that time of year again. When high school and college students all over the country are graduating. More importantly, when JHM readers reach out and ask for my suggestions when it comes to the perfect graduation gift for the would-be animators and Imagineers in their families. This year, though...

I’ve often been asked this goofy question. “How would you run an animation studio if you were in charge?” Questions like this come from young people who assume I have answers. The truth is, I’m not in that position, and I don’t expect to be. However, I once ran my own business...

Given that we now live in the age of DreamWorks 3.0 , with Walt Disney Studios distributing the films that Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider will soon be producing, it’s kind of hard to remember the bad old days. When Jeffery Katzenberg was … … out to deplete Disney’s talent pool. He flattered Disney...

Let’s start with the obvious question: Is Lee Unkrich concerned that he’s going to be the guy who breaks Pixar’s now-10-pictures-long winning streak? When I got to talk with the director of “ Toy Story 3 ” as part of a roundtable session at Comic-Con last year, Lee admitted that – with each new hit that...

You’ve probably seen a lot of Joe Ranft -related material popping up around the Web over the past few days. John Musker ’s excellent story reel-based tribute to his old pal (who was tragically killed in an automobile accident back on August 16, 2005 ). No to mention the first installment of Leo Holzer...

Mickey, meet Spidey. Spidey, Mickey. In a deal that (I’m sure) the Disneyana community will have trouble wrapping its head around, The Walt Disney Company announced plans today to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. in a stock and cash transaction worth an estimated $4 billion. As to what actually drove...

If you’re an animation fan – a SERIOUS animation fan – you’re going to want to be in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, July 28 th . Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki Why For? Because on that night – and for that night only – two animation legends will be sharing a stage. John Lasseter will be hosting...

Earlier this week, it was kind of ironic that – in a headline that talked up how well “Up” was doing at the domestic box office – Variety mentioned “ The Incredibles .” Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc and Pixar Animation Studios. All Rights Reserved “Ironic how?,” you ask. Well, in a time where this...

Forget about the flying house, that giant bird and the talking dog. All of those out-of-the-ordinary items. Because -- when you get right down to it --“ Up ” is a movie that celebrates the boring stuff. Those tiny, little moments that really make life worth living. Copyright Disney / Pixar. All Rights...

Some years ago, I watched helplessly as Walt Disney's animation department was moved out of their old building on the Burbank lot. You see, the new management needed room to expand, and animators took up space. So clearly somebody had to go. The Animation Building on Disney's Burbank Lot. You can wait...